


Remember Me

by Devynky



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Dolls and Nicole are adoptive siblings, Emotional, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, I am so sorry for this, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Triggers, nicole is a writer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29735361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devynky/pseuds/Devynky
Summary: Nicole's life has never been more perfect-with graduation approaching, having to finally escape the hellhole that is high school, having her perfect relationship with Waverly, and to top that, having to get a scholarship program in her dream school. Until one day, everything changes. Will Nicole find the light at the end of the tunnel?
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	1. A Fateful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Within 24 hours, Nicole Haught gets good news and bad news.

**_"And lucky are those who find light in the midst of darkness, for they could always set the world ablaze in hopes of a better one—one where they could simply be happy."_ **

"Wow," Waverly finally sighed after being silent for a long time as she finished reading yet another one of her girlfriend’s finest works. 

“I know, it’s crap,” Nicole chuckled as she shoved her ledger notebook back in her backpack. Waverly’s forehead furrowed as confusion took over her face. 

“It’s not crap! You are Purgatory Prep's most promising writer,” Waverly said as she rested her head on Nicole’s shoulder. Nicole let out a sigh before resting her own head over Waverly’s.

“Don’t you think that’s too much hype, Waves?” Nicole teased while rubbing the back of Waverly’s hand. Waverly lifted her head from Nicole’s shoulder and let out a small pout. 

“I don’t think any hype would be enough for you,” Waverly smiled as she placed a soft kiss on top of Nicole’s lips. She might not have been as talented in writing as the love of her life was, but she was as determined to show her love in any way that she could, even if it were just small kisses or hugs that feel they could last for days. 

_“Babygirl! Haught Stuff!”_

Nicole grumbled as she parted her lips from Waverly, who was trying to hide a smile, “your sister has an incredible sense of timing, huh?”

“And yet, we both still love her,” Waverly smirked as she stood up to hug her sister. 

“Hey, Red. Nedley says he wants to see you in the office,” Wynonna said as she tucked her hands in her leather jacket. Nicole and Waverly looked at her, both seemingly waiting for more details to be said by the older Earp. 

“That’s all he said to me,” Wynonna said while raising her hands up, “what did you do, Haughty?”

“I… didn’t do anything…” Nicole mumbled while her face was starting to express worry. 

This didn’t go unnoticed to Waverly, who quickly grabbed Nicole’s hand in assurance and gave her the smile Nicole could never resist to smile back to. Wynonna cleared her throat and nodded with a pursed smile before walking away from the two. 

“I’m sure you aren’t in trouble—you always have a soft spot with Nedley,” Waverly said before kissing Nicole’s hand, “now, before you distract me again with those gorgeous dimples, I have to get to practice—these pompoms won’t shake themselves, you know.” She gave Nicole one last kiss before heading off to the direction of Chrissy Nedley, Waverly’s best friend and fellow cheerleader. Nicole sighed as she saw her girlfriend and Chrissy disappear in the crowd before making her way to Nedley’s office. 

_______________

Randy Nedley was Purgatory Prep’s beloved principal—even being principal during the time Ward Earp was still in school. He took a liking of Nicole when he first interviewed Nicole back when she just arrived in Purgatory and was just enrolling in Purgatory Prep. _Full of potential_ , he thought. 

Nicole entered the principal’s office, hands fidgeting as she made herself in, “Wynonna said you wanted to see me, sir?” 

Nedley smiled at her with his bushy moustache, “Ah, Nicole! Sit down, I have something to tell you.”

Nicole’s eyes widened a bit before saying, “Sir, I don't know what you heard, but whatever it is, Champ started it.”

Nedley let out a little chuckle as he pointed to Nicole the chair in front of his desk. Nicole reluctantly sat down, putting her hands between her thighs in a subtle way to hide how much she was shaking out of fear and worry. 

“You’re not in trouble, Nicole.”

“Wait, you were serious?”

Nedley shook his head and said, “I called you down here for a reason. I’m going to assume you have heard of the _Black Badge Institute_?” 

Nicole’s eyes almost popped out of her head. _Boy, has she heard of it._ The Black Badge Institute is the most outstanding writing school in Purgatory, and so little students could actually get in the school. Her adoptive brother, Xavier Dolls, was among the students who were lucky enough to be enrolled in BBI.

“I have always wanted to go there, I heard they have the—”

“Best writing courses and assets to offer, yes,” Nedley smiled as she handed Nicole a brown folder. She opened it to see a paper with the words _STUDENT APPLICATION FORM_ in big, bold letters on top. The air got sucked out of Nicole’s lungs— _this couldn’t be real life_. 

“Is this—Do they really—”

“Yes, Haught. It seems that somebody might have sent some pieces you’ve written to Black Badge and now they want to conduct an interview.” Of course, Nedley knew Nicole just _had_ to get in BBI. The girl was skilled with her literary skills beyond words—she must go somewhere where her potential could further grow.

“Thank you so much, sir,” Nicole said, tears forming in her eyes. Nedley took her hand and put it in between his. 

“You deserved this, Nicole,” he smiled as he was shaking her hand before letting it go and returning back to his chair, “you may go now, your family would be thrilled about this news. Or better yet, a certain Earp would be.” He winked at Nicole, who now was as red as her hair. She smiled at him one last time before getting up, putting the brown folder in her bag. 

_______________

She went out of the principal’s office with a smile plastered on her face. Of course, good things had to come to an end, and hers ended when she saw a group of varsity jocks coming her way, led by none other than Champ Hardy. His smug, punchable grin lingered on his face as he approached Nicole, his hands in his varsity jacket’s pockets. 

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite _lesbian_ ,” Champ greeted, his sarcasm rolling off his last word. 

“What do you want, Champ?” Nicole said while rolling her eyes, her hand’s grip on her bag’s strap started to tighten. 

“Why so hostile, _Haught_ -head? I thought Principal Nedley said I had to be nicer to you.”

“Yeah, you and “ _nice_ ”? Never go together.” 

Champ started walking up near her when they were interrupted by a _“There you are, Haught Stuff!”_ from her best friend and her girlfriend’s sister. Champ visibly winced when Wynonna shot him a killer glare before dragging Nicole out of there by her arm. 

“My sister wouldn’t stop talking about how you weren’t answering your phone when you should have been drying your eyes out from staring at her in practice,” Wynonna teased as they made their way to the cheerleading grounds. She saw Waverly in a second, sweat decorating her neck, which was exposed due to her hair being tied up.

“Like I said, _drying your eyes out_ ,” Wynonna grumbled as she playfully punched Nicole in the arm. 

“It’s not my fault your sister is hot.”

“You’re _Haught_.” 

“Wynonna, I swear to fu—”

They were interrupted when Waverly walked up to them, hands crossed. 

“Where were you? I was starting to worry about you,” Waverly asked, her hands dropping from her chest to her sides. 

“Getting into trouble with Champ again,” Wynonna said, which made Nicole and Waverly snap their heads toward her. Waverly’s jaw dropped and her eyes went back to Nicole, who was now glaring at Wynonna. 

“I wasn’t—” she gritted her teeth at Wynonna before turning back to Waverly, “I wasn’t getting into any trouble. He was just _trying to get under my skin_.” She said the last words so softly, it was almost inaudible if her girlfriend weren’t paying much attention as she was while listening to Nicole. 

“I’m gonna kill him,” Waverly muttered under her breath before feeling Nicole’s palm settle on her cheek, making her look up at her brown eyes. 

“You don’t have to, as long as I got you, I don’t care about him anymore.”

“You guys are so sweet, I can actually hear the horde of ants coming your way,” Wynonna said as she patted Nicole’s shoulder, “Babygirl, we gotta go—Dad wants us to go somewhere out of town.” 

Waverly nodded as Wynonna started walking out to the entrance. Waverly was about to follow when Nicole grabbed her hand, “ _Waves._ ”

“Nic, baby, you’re scaring me, what’s going on?” Waverly asked, concern all over her face. 

“ _I got an interview_.”

“What do you mean _you got an interview,_ with who ?”

“Black Badge. I got an interview. That was what Nedley wanted to talk about earlier,” Nicole smiled, her tears coming back in her eyes. Waverly wasn’t far behind, tears brimming in her eyes as well.

“I knew it! I knew you could do it!” Waverly exclaimed as she threw her arms around Nicole, “and to add to that _amazing_ news, I’m going to do it tonight.”

“Do _what_ tonight?”

“Tell my dad about you. About _us_.”

“Waves, you don’t have to—”

“No, but I want to. It’s time my dad found out about this smart girl I’m dating for the past four years, don’t you think?”

“But didn’t you say he was hom—”

“If he doesn’t want me to be with you, I don’t care. Because I love you and nothing will change that.”

“I love you more than words could ever describe.”

“Coming from a writer?” Waverly playfully smirked.

“Waverly Earp, I love you, to forever and beyond.”

“Promise?” Waverly asked as she stuck out her pinky finger. 

“Promise.” Nicole wrapped her own pinky finger around Waverly’s before placing a long but soft kiss on the love of her life’s lips. They didn’t mind that they were kissing on the cheerleading grounds, as none of that mattered, for the world was theirs.

_Or so they thought._

_______________

  
Nicole couldn't sleep that night. Which was expected, considering the news she was given today, and also unexpected, since she had been more exhausted lately than before. She got snapped out of her trance when Dolls knocked softly on her door. He smiled at her before sitting down at the foot of the bed.  
  
  


"I'm proud of you, I hope you know that," he said while smiling at Nicole, who was smiling back, "and I have always believed in you—all you needed was to believe in yourself."

Nicole was about to reply when her phone started to play a familiar ringtone. _Wynonna's_.

"Wynonna, what's wrong? It's almost—"

" _Nicole, we are at the emergency room right now. Babygirl's hurt, Nicole. Bad._ "


	2. Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly tells her father something important. It does not go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! I'm glad you are all enjoying so far :} Here is Chapter 2!
> 
> TW // Trigger: Homophobia, Car Accident

_**Four years ago...** _

_Waverly Earp knew nothing of love. She just assumed that she would meet a boy, would get married, would have kids, would grow old, and would finally end the cycle that is her life. Before their mother left them, Waverly saw that with her parents and just assumed that she would one day end up like that._

_"WAVERLY, COME DOWNSTAIRS! THERE IS SOMEBODY I WANT YOU TO MEET!" Wynonna shouted from downstairs, interrupting Waverly from doing her homework. She grumbled and shut her notebook before going downstairs. She then spotted Wynonna making her way to the kitchen._

_"Alright, who is it this time?"_

_"What do you mean?" Wynonna asked as she rummaged in the cupboards, searching for something to eat._

_"C'mon, 'Nonna. You have a different boy over here every other week."_

_"I do not! It's every other two weeks," Wynonna said as she got a bag of chips, "get your facts straight, Babygirl." Waverly chuckled as she followed Wynonna to the living room. She saw that Gus was talking to somebody._

_"Waverly, this is Nicole Haught. Haught Stuff, this is my baby sister, Waverly."_

_"Younger, not baby," Waverly muttered under her breath before facing the new person, "I'm—_

_Waverly froze. Nicole was... more beautiful than she had thought. Her hair was as red as roses and her brown eyes both had twinkle in them. Wait, was she attracted to—?_

_"Waverly, yeah, I caught that," Nicole smiled at her, her dimples finding their respective places on the sides of her smile, "that's such a beautiful name." Nicole said as she shook Waverly's hand. Her hand was so soft, so warm, so—_

_"Waves, you mind letting go of Haught Potato's hand?"_

_"Wynonna, how many of those do you have?" Nicole asked as Waverly hurriedly let go of Nicole's hand, her hand growing colder without the warmth of the redhead's hand in her own._

_"Hey, it's not my fault your surname is pun central. You could say it's a pun—"_

_"Don't even—"_

_"Haught Spot."_

_Nicole shook her head before looking at Waverly and smirking, "are you sure you're sisters?"_

_"I'm right here!" Wynonna grumbled as she munched down a donut. Nicole laughed at Wynonna before turning back to Waverly, who was nervously chuckling but Nicole brushed it off as her shyness that Wynonna told her about before going to the Homestead._

_Why was Waverly acting like this now? She met several of her sisters' friends before, so what makes it different with Nicole? And it's not like she **liked** Nicole Haught... right?_

_"Their father, Ward, is still at work, but he should be home by... tomorrow," Gus said while shaking her head, "and their other sister, Willa, is in her room, but she doesn't really like interacting with guests, so I wouldn't worry about her too much," she winked at Nicole, to which Nicole nodded in reply._

_________________

_"Thank you for dinner, Gus," Nicole said as she put her jacket on._

_"Of course, you better come back here so I could make you some more," Gus said as she playfully shook her finger at Nicole, "you're skinnier than my broom! Do you even eat?"_

_"With your cooking, I'm sure I won't stay skinny for long," Nicole smirked, which got an amused chuckle from Gus. Waverly emerged from the doorway of the kitchen before stopping in the middle of the living room to wave goodbye to Nicole, who smiled at her and waved back._

_"Alright, Haught Pants, let's get you home," Wynonna said as she gently shoved Nicole out of the Homestead's door. As soon as the door clicked shut, Gus cleared her throat, which caught the attention of Waverly._

_"Hmm?"_

_"Oh, don't you do that to me, Wave," Gus said as she helped Waverly in cleaning up the living room, "I could see how you looked at that girl from a mile away." That made Waverly's face go instantly red, her jaw dropping in embarrassment._

_"W-what? N-no! Gus, Nicole is a girl."_

_"Don't you think I know that?" Gus raised her eyebrow at Waverly, "and there's nothing wrong with it, you know, liking a girl. We are free to choose who we want to love."_

_"Love? Gus, I just met her!" Waverly said, hoping that what she said might hide the humiliation overtaking her body. Was it that obvious? Did Nicole notice what Gus noticed? What if she got creeped out by her? Will she come back?_

_"Oh, hush, you! It's normal to have a little crush."_

_Gus was right, there was nothing wrong with a little crush. After all, that was all that there was to it. Just Waverly Earp having a small crush on her sister's new friend. That was all that there was to it. Nothing. More._

_________________

**_A few hours ago..._ **

"I saw that, you know," Chrissy said as she and Waverly walked to practice. Waverly looked at Chrissy, whose eyebrows were raised in amusement and delight, "Nicole Haught and Waverly Earp: ' _Purgatory High's hottest couple_! What do you have to say about that, Ms. Earp?" Chrissy said as she put her fake microphone in front of Waverly's face. Waverly laughed, shaking her head as they continued walking to the cheerleading grounds.

"C'mon, Waves, give me something!"

"There's nothing to give, Chrissy. What you see is what we are. Just two people who love each other so _damn_ much," Waverly replied.

"Oh, my gosh! You said the _L_ word!"

"You make it seem _love_ is such a bad word," the girls giggled as they made it to the cheerleading grounds, only to be stopped by a group of jocks, led by no other than Champ Hardy. 

"What do you want, Champ?" Chrissy asked, crossing her arms. Waverly just held on to the strap of her duffel bag, not once making eye contact with Champ. He then stepped closer to Waverly before Chrissy stepped in front of her to prevent Champ from going any closer, "you know how much her girlfriend and sister can kick your ass, Champ. _Scram_."

"I just wanted to tell Waverly that I would be doing another rodeo show this weekend, figured you'd want to go and see me in action," Champ said as he winked at Waverly, to which she rolled her eyes at. His smirk faded as he saw Waverly's action, "oh, come on, now. Surely you aren't playing _that_ hard to get, Waves."

"Don't call her that, and what do you mean ' _hard to get_ ', you asshole?" 

"Just heard from some people that you're using that _fucking lesbo_ to try and get me jealous. You can drop the act now, Earp. My eyes and ears are yours." That was the last straw for Waverly, because as soon as he finished talking, she moved around Chrissy and slapped Champ across the face, earning a lot of _oohs_ from his friends. 

" _Never_ talk about my girlfriend like that. I love her and _only_ her, and no empty-headed, conceited asshole will ever get between that," Waverly snapped as she grabbed Chrissy's arm and walked through the group of jocks, " _and for the record, you're not even that good at rodeo._ " 

"Oh, my god! I can't believe you just did that," Chrissy exclaimed once they were out of Champ's earshot. 

"What, did I lie?" 

"No, but old Waverly would have never called anyone out on their crap," Chrissy said while shrugging her shoulders. 

"It's like you said, Chris. _Old Waverly_. Sometimes, change could be good," Waverly said, her eyebrows raised and a smile lingering on her face. 

"Mhm, surely it wasn't the work of one particular _redhead_ I know, was it?" Chrissy asked as she bumped Waverly's side. They put down their bags near Wynonna, who was already on the bleachers, downing a burrito. 

"How did you get here _and_ managed to get a burrito?" Waverly asked, her eyebrows scrunched. 

"Magic _—_ "

_"Okay, Wynonna."_

The girls practiced for about half an hour before Waverly started to get anxious that her girlfriend was still not there. Nedley _did_ call her to his office, and she knows Nicole would never do something bad and stupid... like what she did last week when she and Wynonna picked a fight with Champ for spreading a picture of Waverly while she was changing. Champ still had the bruises to prove it, and Nicole and Wynonna served detention for a week. But despite that, Nedley refused to put the detention into their student records, knowing it would lessen the chances of Nicole getting accepted in BBI.

"Okay, you have your worried baby face, what's going on?" Wynonna said as she told Waverly to come closer. 

"Nicole isn't answering her phone. She should be here by now."

"I am sure Nicole isn't in trouble. You just relax, okay, Babygirl?"

"But, Wynonna..." Waverly whined, giving Wynonna a look which they both knew she could never resist.

" _Fine_ , I will look for Haught Dog. But only because I love you and her. Also, you're doing my dishes at the Homestead," Wynonna said before standing up and walking away, not even giving Waverly the chance to protest.

_________________

_This was it_. This was Waverly's chance to tell her father about Nicole. About how she made her happy for the past four years she had known Nicole. She knew she couldn't hide it forever, let alone to her father, and this was her chance to say it. They went to a diner almost at the sign leaving Purgatory, where one of Ward's friends worked as a cook. Gus somehow convinced Ward to spend some more time with the girls, even if it wasn't somewhere fancy or extravagant _—just to show the girls that he was still there._ Even though Willa was at her phone and Wynonna was bored out of her mind, Gus knew Waverly was happy, which means somehow her suggestion worked. 

"So, what is up with you girls?" Ward grumbled before putting on a smile. 

"Robert and I are doing _very well_ ," Willa said while smiling at her phone. 

"Gross, Willa. Nobody wants to hear about your relationship with that part-bear giant."

" _I'm in a relationship with a girl."_ Everybody's eyes widened before looking at Waverly, who took a big breath and continued, "her name is Nicole. We have been going out for four years now. I wanted to tell you, Daddy, but I couldn't get the chance nor the courage. But yeah, you're going to _love_ Nicole."

Wynonna put her hand on Waverly's shoulder and smiled, " _I'm proud of you_." Waverly looked at Gus, who also had the same proud smile as Wynonna. Ward and Willa, however, were nowhere near as happy as the former two were.

"Waverly, you are not _gay_. You're confused. And Gus? You tolerated this _crap_ for four years? Wynonna, you should have been guiding your sister to making right decisions!" 

"Dad, you _can't_ be serious," Wynonna shot back, looking at Ward with a stern look before getting the same look from Willa, "what, you're against this too? This isn't the 50's anymore! If she wants to love Nicole, then I say she _should_." 

"Wynonna, she is 17 years old! What the _hell_ does she know about love?" Willa bitterly said, glaring at Waverly who was now in the verge of tears. _She should've expected this reaction from them, but she was stupid enough to believe that there was hope that they would accept her._

"Probably more than you, at least she isn't grinding with a gorilla," Wynonna said, earning an offended gasp from Willa.

"You take that back! Robert is such a good person and he doesn't deserve this kind of hate," Willa said as she threw a glare at Wynonna, who threw one back. 

"That is enough. _We are going home_." Ward said as he pushed his plate away. 

"Ward—" Gus started before getting interrupted by Ward slamming his hand on the table, catching the attention of everybody in the diner. 

"WE ARE GOING HOME!" Waverly shook at the boom of their father's voice that was seething with anger. Wynonna threw an arm around her and started rubbing her other arm with her free hand. 

"I messed up, Wynonna."

"No, you didn't. Stop saying that. You didn't do anything wrong, Babygirl," Wynonna said, blinking back tears of anger forming in her eyes. Waverly was sure she heard Wynonna's voice crack and it made her sob silently even more.

As they got in the car, Willa leaned more into the door side, showing utter disgust in sitting next to Waverly, so Wynonna went in first so she would be in between them. As she sat down, Wynonna shoved Willa a little, earning a grunt from the eldest Earp sister. She hugged Waverly closer as their father started ranting while looking at her _—_ about how Waverly should never have had a relationship with Nicole, how disappointed it was, and how the revelation changed the dynamic of their family. Of course, it wasn't the revelation that changed the dynamic, but the shriek of Ward's name coming Gus in the passenger seat as a wild deer scampered into the middle of the road, causing Ward to steer hard left, making the car roll over to its right side and into the shallow but rocky gully on the side of the road. Willa and Wynonna had a few scars on their faces, as so did Gus, but the side of Waverly's head was starting to bleed and her eyes were blinking in and out of consciousness. Wynonna carried Waverly while Willa helped Gus with Ward. 

_"Stay with me, Babygirl! Don't you dare close your eyes on me!"_ She heard Wynonna's voice call out to her, along with her heartbeat that she could vividly hear. 

_Thump. Thump._

_"911? Yes, there has been an accident and my sister needs..."_

_Thump. Thump._

_"Please get here fast, I'm trying my best..."_

_Thump. Thump._

She could see red and blue lights blinking from afar.

_Thump. Thump._

Her life started flashing before her eyes _—_ _her childhood memories, her playtime with Wynonna and their mom, cooking with Gus in the kitchen._

_Thump. Thump._

She saw Nicole—the memories they both shared the last four years, the _I love you's_ they have shared to one another. 

_Thump. Thump._

" _Nicole, we are at the emergency room right now. Babygirl's hurt, Nicole. Bad._ "

_And everything went black._

_________________

Waverly felt as if she was engulfed in that darkness forever—nothing but silence and the void which was starting to creep upon her senses. She looked around, trying to find a source of light; anything that wasn't the darkness could have been enough. And moments later, she saw a beam of light that broke the darkness. And she woke up. 

_"Waverly's temporal lobe was roughly affected by the hit on her head. Nothing too fatal to classify as severe brain damage, but she might experience retrograde amnesia, judging where her brain was affected the most in her MRI. She could suffer memory loss for about a month, if our estimate is correct."_


	3. Dog Tag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident changed Xavier Dolls' life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Trigger: Homophobia, Fire Accident, Hospitals

**14 years ago...**

As a child, Xavier Dolls lived a good life in Detroit, Michigan. His mother was a respected lawyer in a well-known law firm. His father, an admirable firefighter adored by those whom he had served, and who inspired Dolls to become a firefighter too, someday that is. He was loved by his family and he loved them; he knew at a young age that the world was perilous, but his family made it seem otherwise. And in his mind, there was nothing that could happen that would tear that apart—his family faced bad times together and it became stronger with almost each struggle they encountered. _Almost_.

He woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of his father rummaging through his gear, preparing for an emergency call made a few minutes ago. Dolls rubbed his eyes and grumbled, which made his father stop and smile at his son.

"Pops, what's going on?"

"Just an emergency, bud," his father replied, rubbing the five-year-old's head.

"What's the emergency?" 

"There was a fire in the apartment buliding three blocks from here, Pops has to go there to help the people."

"Will you come back?" 

"Of course, bud," his father taking off his dog tag before giving it to his son, "I'll be coming back to get this from you. Okay?" 

"Okay, Pops. I'll wait for you here. I love you." Dolls said before settling on the couch. His father smiled at him and kissed him on the forehead.

_"I love you too, son."_ His father smiled before going out of the door. Dolls watched the door close shut while fiddling with his father's dog tag. _He will come back, he has come back a million times before, so he will come back again this time._

Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours, the night went to its slumber as the morning reigned the day again, but Dolls never saw his father open the door. Dolls never got the chance to give back his father's dog tag to him. He scurried going to the stairs as he heard his mother wailing upstairs, going as fast as his little feet could. His heart sped fast, running to his parents' room before opening their door to find his mother on the floor, her hand clamped over her mouth as she held her phone to her ear with the other. 

_"Mama?"_

_________________

The air was still gray, considering how big the fire in the apartment building was. The people gathered around the scene, but Dolls and his mother managed to get through the crowd. They went over the yellow tape before getting stopped by some policemen.

_"Ma'am, you can't get past through the yellow tape. Please stay behind it!"_

_"Please, let me through, my husband was in that fire!"_

" _Let her through,_ " said the man who Dolls knew was one of his fathers' colleagues. He kneeled on one leg in front of the young boy as he took off his hat before looking at Dolls with tears in his eyes, "Hey, Xavier. I don't think you remember me, but my name is Tanner, I was your Pops' friend."

"Where's my Pops?"

"He was... he was a good man, your father. I am so sorry, Xavier."

"No, where's my Pops? He gave me his dog tag, _he can't go anywhere without his dog tag_."

"Your father died saving that girl over there," Tanner said as he pointed to the nearby ambulance, where a little girl was sitting, wrapped in a shock blanket, tears forming lines on the cinder that was still decorating her face as she cried.

"I figured he would've wanted to give you this," Tanner continued, giving Dolls what he recognized was his father's firefighter hat, "your old man is a hero and we will never forget what he did here."

Dolls nodded, wiping the streams of tears on his face. Tanner stood up as talked to his mother. He looked at the little girl at the ambulance before he started walking to her, his hands on the jacket he was wearing.

Most people would ask Dolls in the following years why he didn't get mad at the girl for robbing him of his dear father. And he would answer them all with the same answer: _he wasn't the only one who got robbed of someone they loved._ He lost his father, yes, but he still had his mother. And knowing that the girl was left of nothing to own and nobody to call family, Dolls was filled with nothing but pity for the girl. He couldn't get angry at somebody who lost everything in such a short time. He was sure his father wouldn't have wanted him to get angry at her either. He sat down next to her as he pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket and started to wipe the cinder off the girl's face. She stared at him with wide eyes while he finished wiping her face.

"Aren't you cold with just that blanket?" He asked, putting the handkerchief back in his pocket. 

"It's the only thing they gave me," the girl softly as she clutched the blanket closer, hoping that doing so would make it a bit warmer. Dolls took the blanket from the little girl, but even before she could respond to what he did, Dolls removed his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"My jacket's warmer. Those blankets are too thin to be warm, they should really replace those with thicker ones," Dolls said while letting out a small chuckle, hoping that the girl would cheer up.

She returned a smile before asking, "who are you?"

"My name is Xavier Dolls, but you can call me Dolls if you like," he said, offering his hand, "they said it was my dad who saved you." That made the girl's eyes widen before scooting away from him, her tears forming back in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I wish I could've gone out on my own, he shouldn't have gone back for me," the girl sobbed. Dolls shook his head before scooting near her again.

"You don't have to say sorry, it wasn't your fault," Dolls assured, making the little girl look up to him again, "my Pops didn't save you just so you could blame yourself." The little girl wiped her tears away as Dolls said while smiling, "let's try this again. My name is Xavier Dolls, but you can call me Dolls."

_"My name is Nicole."_ The little girl said while smiling, " _Nicole Haught_." They chatted some more, both of them cheering each other up before they stopped when Tanner and Dolls' mother walked up to them.

"Alright, Nicole, you better get ready," Tanner started, crouching in front of Nicole. Dolls' eyebrows furrowed the same way Nicole's did, "the social workers are almost here to pick you up."

"What?" Dolls asked in shock. He almost forgot what his father told him that happened to those children that lost their parents in accidents—they go to a place where they wait until somebody adopts them. _Alone_. Dolls walked up to his mother and said, "Mama, you can't let them take her away. Pops say they're sad in the _poster_ system!"

" _Foster_ system, baby," Dolls' mother smiled at him sadly before looking at Nicole. The little girl looked away and stared at the ground as Dolls' mother looked at her with sad eyes. Dolls' mother then smiled at Tanner, "Tanner, do you mind bringing the kids to our home? I would like to talk with the social workers when they arrive here."

Tanner nodded with a smile back before taking the two small kids by the hand and seated them at the passenger seat of the firetruck. He watched in amusement as the two kids were pointing and watching outside the window. It was a short drive, but they finally arrived at Dolls' home. When they went down, Dolls took Nicole by the hand before leading her inside. He gave her a new blanket and gave her some water then lent her his toys. Hours later, Dolls' mother arrived back home, a folder in hand. She smiled at the two kids who were playing in the living room before going over to Tanner, who was watching them as well. 

"What did they say?" Tanner asked.

"Well," Dolls' mother started before walking up to the kids and sitting down next to them, the two kids looking at her with wide eyes, "they said you're welcome to stay with us as long as she likes. What do you say, Nicole? You want to be part of this family? It's not much, but—"

" _Yes_."

"I guess that makes you her big brother, Xavier," Tanner said as he rubbed Dolls' head. Dolls smiled at Nicole, who smiled back at him. It was that day that Xavier Dolls made a promise to himself: _he will **not** let his father's sacrifice in vain_. He will not let anything happen to his little sister. _He will not let anything happen to Nicole Haught_.

_________________

**_Ten years later..._ **

From basketball pratice, Dolls managed to quickly make his way to the school clinic after being told that Nicole, who was now fourteen years old, was rushed there. He was just a year older than her, but for eight years, she had always been her little sister, and he always felt responsible for her. Not that he was complaining, of course—being the man of the house, being a big brother to Nicole, if only his father could see him now. 

When Dolls arrived at the clinic, he saw Nicole sitting near the door, hands crossed over her chest. Her face was fixed in anger before it shifted to relief when she saw Dolls. She stood up and hugged him, to which he hugged back. He pulled away and saw a small scar resting on her cheekbone, purple forming all over it. 

"What happened?"

"I was biking, Dolls."

"Did the bike punch you in the stomach too?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Nicole's eyes looked sideways before rolling her eyes and pulling him out of the clinic by the arm. 

"Okay, now that we are out earshot of Nurse Carter, who was half-deaf, by the way," Dolls said, putting on his serious face, "will you tell me now what _actually_ happened?"

Nicole fidgeted with her hands before looking up at Dolls again, " _I got into a fight_."

Dolls' eyes widened in surprise, "you got into a _what_?"

"I got into a fight, Dolls."

"With _who_?"

"With these high school jocks, they were making fun of me." 

"Well, what did they do?" Dolls asked, crossing his arms. 

"They called me Gandalf the Gay." 

"I will talk to the principal about it, but c'mon, Nicky, you're better than that. You're not supposed to fight back, _especially_ when you know that the stuff they're saying isn't true."

"I didn't fight them because what they said wasn't true," Nicole muttered while looking down her hands. 

"What..." Dolls said, eyebrows scrunching while he shook his head before putting the pieces together. 

" _You fought them because what they said is true,"_ He said while nodding. Nicole continued looking down, not making any eye contact with Dolls.

"Are you ashamed?" Dolls asked. 

"I figured you'd get angry at me or you'd hate me, so I never bothered saying anything—" Nicole got interrupted when Dolls pulled her into a hug. 

"I could _never_ get angry at you and I definitely could _never_ hate you," Dolls said as Nicole started to sob on his shoulder, "you should have known that by now, after all these years we have been family."

Nicole pulled away and Dolls wiped her tears, "you are my sister. _Nothing_ will ever change that, even if you want to date an alien. I will put Gandalf's stick up those high schoolers' assholes," which earned a light chuckle from Nicole. He patted her head before saying, "c'mon, let's grab lunch. I'll pay." 

They started walking to the cafeteria, talking about how Nicole found out, when she found out—Dolls mentally smacking himself for the times he missed her blushing whenever she saw Keira Knightley while they were watching _Pirates of the Caribbean._ Their conversation came to halt when Dolls noticed Nicole staring into nowhere, "Nicky, you alright?"

But, even before Nicole could reply, her eyes closed as her legs gave up on her whilst she lost consciousness. Dolls managed to catch her before she fell on the floor, repeatedly shouting out for help and for Nicole to wake up, shaking her in hopes that she would wake up.

_________________

He sat on the side of her bed, the heartbeat monitor distracting him from the flood of anxiety rushing all over him. Their mother arrived a few minutes ago, who was now caressing Nicole's hand while she was trying hard not to cry. Dolls stood up and hugged their mother. When the doctor came in, he had a sour look on his face, which worried both Dolls and their mother. 

"Well, is it a concussion?" Dolls asked.

"Unfortunately, no."

"How is that unfortunate? What could possibly be worse than a concussion to what happened to my sister?"

" _Multiple Sclerosis_."

Dolls looked at their mother and both of them had the same look in their eyes: _fear._

"Nicole's MRI shows abnormalities that we compared to previous MS patients. We suspected other diseases, but her blood tests ruled out every single one of them."

"Is there a cure?" Dolls asked, his voice cracking as he tried not to laugh.

"There is no cure for MS, I'm sorry. But we could try slowing down its effects on her, considering that it's affected her faster than most cases. But, most cases are fatal and could lead to mortality, and I'm afraid Nicole's case could be one of those," Dolls' heart dropped down. _Why was this happening to his sister? Hasn't she suffered enough, having lost everyone before, everything before, and now there's a possibility she could lose her—_

"How do we slow it down?" Their mother said, tears streaming from her eyes.

"There are medications for slowing down MS, but we don't have them," the doctor said before giving a piece of paper to their mother, "but I could assign you to one of my acquaintances who work in a place that _surely_ has those medications."

"Where is this place?"

" _Purgatory_."


	4. Sister, Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything that happened before the eyes of one Wynonna Earp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm halfway done with this story oof :} Here is chapter 4! 
> 
> TW // Trigger: Hospital

_**Present Day, the day after the accident...** _

"Waverly's temporal lobe was roughly affected by the hit on her head. Nothing too fatal to classify as severe brain damage, but she might experience retrograde amnesia, judging where her brain was affected the most in her MRI. She could suffer memory loss for about a month, if our estimate is correct."

_"_ She might experience _what_ now?" Wynonna managed to breathe out, her eyes almost popping out of her eyes. 

"Retrograde amnesia. This is one of the cases where the brain suffers more than a concussion but less than severe brain damage, and from where Waverly was hit, she could suffer memory loss. She would be able to make new memories unlike people who suffer from anterograde amnesia. But until her treatments and checkups are done, which she will be undergoing until she does get better, she might have difficulties recalling previous memories before the accident."

Wynonna looked at Waverly with sad eyes before running to her side when started to stir. Waverly's eyes fluttered open and looked around the room before looking at Wynonna. And what Waverly said to Wynonna made her heart stop beating and shatter to pieces.

_"Who are you?"_

"I'm sorry, Ms. Earp. Her treatments will start this coming weekend, but in the meantime, you could remind Waverly of some memories. There are studies that show exposure to people, objects, or places significant to a person suffering with retrograde amnesia could help speed the rate of recall," the doctor said before he turned around and started walking to the door. 

"What about our dad?"

The doctor heaved a sigh before turning around to face Wynonna once more, "I'm sorry to say your father didn't make it. He lost too much blood and the impact on his head caused him to suffer immediate hemorrhage. I deeply offer my condolences. I have already told your aunt and sister in the other room."

Wynonna nodded, pursing her lips while her tears started falling from her eyes. Everything happened so quickly, and she couldn't process fast enough the fact that they have lost both of their parents. This was yet another addition to Wynonna's list of bad memories within the walls of the Purgatory Hospital. Then again, she realized that she had lost her father the moment their mother lost her heartbeat. And it scared her _so much_ that Waverly was almost at the brink of losing hers too. 

Their parents would often say that it was untrue, but they played out their favorites among the three sisters; it was known that Ward loved Willa out of the three, and their mother cherished Waverly the most. But Wynonna never minded that, for Waverly was her favorite and Waverly was hers, and that was enough for her. And to lose Waverly meant losing one of the very few people that actually _loved_ Wynonna. She established to herself and accepted the fact that she could be sometimes unbearable, and her family knew that. But Waverly never cared about that and continued to look up to Wynonna, and to lose that meant losing her world.

She wiped her tears as she sat down near Waverly's foot. Waverly rubbed her eyes and sat up before looking at Wynonna. 

"I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Wynonna had to smile at the fact that despite not remembering her, Waverly still cared for her. Then again, Waverly had always been caring of everyone around her, especially her family. 

"I will be. Do you remember who you are?"

"No..." Waverly said while rubbing her head, her hand stopping the spot where her bandage had the most blood stain, "why couldn't I remember?" Waverly asked before sobbing to her hands. Wynonna's heart broke as she sat next to Waverly on the bed. 

"Can I hug you—" Wynonna asked before Waverly hugged her middle. She tightly hugged her sister, who continued to sob on her shoulder. 

_________________

**_17 years ago..._ **

Their parents came back from the hospital, the newborn baby swaddled in their mother's arms. Three-year-old Willa and one-year-old Wynonna were playing in the living room with Gus when the latter lit up when she saw the couple and the baby. Their mother sat down on the couch, the two sisters climbing up to sit on her sides. Willa and Wynonna then took turns looking at the baby.

"Why is the baby so ugly?" Willa said, which earned a chuckle from her mother and an angered look from Wynonna. 

Wynonna then looked at the swaddled baby before smiling at her.

" _Love_!" 

"Yes, Wynonna, you should love your sister," their mother smiled as Wynonna waved at the baby with a toothy grin, which made the baby laugh and reach for Wynonna's face. Her hand landed softly on Wynonna's cheek, which Wynonna grabbed and held. The sight of the two sisters made their mother forget about her exhaustion from giving birth. 

"What's her name, momma?" 

" _Waverly. Her name is Waverly._ "

In the middle of that night, Wynonna woke up to the sound of Waverly crying in the nursery. She went out of her and Willa's room, closing the door gently since Willa was sound asleep despite Waverly's loud cries. When she got to the nursery, their mother was trying to cheer up Waverly, who was in her cot, with a rattle and a bottle of milk. Their mother turned to see Wynonna watching them. 

"I'm sorry, honey, did she wake you?" Their mother asked to which Wynonna shook her head. With her teddy bear Bobo on hand, she walked up to the cot and looked down at the crying baby. Waverly stopped crying the moment she saw Wynonna, which made their mother's eyebrows raise in surprise. She had been trying to make Waverly to stop crying for a while, and it only took Wynonna seconds to do so. Wynonna then looked at her teddy bear Bobo before laying it beside Waverly. Their mother knew how much Wynonna loved Bobo—Wynonna wouldn't even let Willa touch a strand of Bobo's hair—and seeing her daughter give it to Waverly made her heart flutter. _These two will love each other forever_ , she just knew that they would.

_________________

_**Present day...** _

After what seemed like hours of Wynonna hugging Waverly tightly close to her, Waverly decided to pull away from her. 

"I'm sorry I messed up your shirt," Waverly apologized while looking at the big, wet stain that formed on Wynonna's shirt. 

"Hey, don't worry about it," Wynonna said while wiping away Waverly's tears, "you don't remember me, do you?"

Waverly shook her head while looking at Wynonna, her tears still sitting on her eyes, "I'm sorry, I know that I should, but I can't remember anything." 

Wynonna nodded before saying, "it's fine, Babygirl. I will help you remember, okay? It doesn't matter how long it will take us, we will help you remember everything again, okay?" Waverly nodded before hugging Wynonna tightly again. 

"I'm Wynonna, you would usually call me 'Nonna when you're too lazy," Wynonna said while playfully rolling her eyes, making Waverly laugh, "and I am your very awesome bigger sister. We go play laser tag on the weekend, oh, and I'm the one who gave you your—" she said before stopping herself. _Should she tell her about Nicole already? Nicole wasn't even there yet, nor does she know about Waverly's condition. Will Waverly freak out if she told her?_

"My what, Wynonna?" 

"Oh, your favorite toy, Bobo," Wynonna said while letting out a fake smile. Where the _hell_ was Nicole? 

"Alright, can you stay here while I get the rest of our family?" Wynonna asked before Waverly softly nodded in reply. Wynonna kissed her forehead before heading out of Waverly's room. She let out a few tears she didn't know she was holding back. She quickly wiped them away when she finally saw Nicole, who Willa was talking to in the hallway. It seemed that neither Nicole nor Willa noticed she was there, which was understandable, considering they were on the other side of the hallway, but she was sure they could possibly see her from where they were sitting. She huffed a breath before she started walking to their direction.   
  


"Hey, Haught Stuff! I was wondering when you'd—" she started, but stopped as soon Nicole looked at her before she stood up and started heading for the door. 

"What the _hell_ was that?" She asked Willa once she saw Nicole disappear out the door. 

"I don't know, she said something came up just now and was too guilty to tell you," Willa shrugged. 

"That... doesn't sound like Nicole..." Wynonna said as her eyebrows furrowed. _No, that definitely wasn't Nicole_. Nicole would've dropped anything, _everything_ for Waverly, especially knowing that Waverly got hurt badly. Nothing was more important to Nicole than the people she cared about. Nothing was more important to her than Waverly. 

"Well, maybe you should stop patronizing that butch so much."

" _Watch your mouth, Willa, or I swear I will drive my fist in it_."

"Really? You'd hurt your own sister because of a _fucking_ lesbian?"

"That's my best friend, you asshole!" 

"Enough, both of you!" They heard Gus shout as they started walking up closer to each other. Gus pulled back Wynonna from Willa while the former gave Willa a death glare that could cut paper.

"She started it, Gus!"

"I don't care, I'm finishing it!"

Wynonna would never let anybody, definitely _not_ her own sister, talk badly about her best friend like that. 

_________________

_**Four years ago...** _

Wynonna would rather run 30 more laps in Physical Education than hear Pete talk more about himself for five more minutes. They were standing near the lockers when he approached her, wanting to take Wynonna on a date, and was desperately trying to keep her from walking away from him. Her unease was starting to show on her face, Pete coming closer to her as they talk before they got interrupted, much to Wynonna's relief.

"Hey, Principal Nedley said that you would be my tour guide. I'm new here," the redhead said, her smile forming dimples on her cheek. Wynonna's eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"He did?" 

"Yeah, he said to look for a Wynonna?"

"Yep, that's me," Wynonna chuckled nervously. 

"I hope you don't mind, but I really need my tour guide," Nicole said while looking at Pete who raised his hands and walked away before she looked at Wynonna and chuckled, "I got scared I got your name wrong there for a second."

"How—"

"I heard him say your name while he was blabbering about going on a date with him, figured you needed my help since your face wasn't really _that_ convincing you wanted to go with him."

Wynonna raised an eyebrow before stepping closer to Nicole, who gulped loudly and started to walk backwards whenever Wynonna stepped closer. 

"Well, I owe you one. What's your name, Red?"

"My name's Nicole. Nicole Haught."

"No way." Wynonna chuckled.

"What...?" Nicole asked, her face scrunching in confusion.

"Your name is _Haught_?"

"Yeah, well, I know it's ridicu—"

"I love it! From now on, your name shall be...." Wynonna said before looking directly at Nicole, who raised an eyebrow, " _Haught Stuff_!"

"Wow, should I kneel down while you knight me with that name?" Nicole chuckled while Wynonna smirked back, "and you?"

"Name's Earp. C'mon, I'll show you around, _Haught Cakes_."

_________________

"Alright, recap, Haught Stuff," Wynonna said while she and Nicole were walking up to the Homestead. She decided to introduce Nicole to her family, but she wouldn't let Nicole meet them without preparing her.

"Your dad is Ward Earp, aunt is Gus McCready. You have two sisters, Willa is the..."

"The _bitch_."

"I was going to say older sister, but sure, that could work. And Waverly is the youngest sister."

"Yep. And she's quite shy too, so if she doesn't talk much, it ain't your fault."

"Well, I think she sounds wonderful."

They finally got to the Homestead, where Gus was already sitting on the couch, reading. 

"Gus, this is Nicole Haught. She's a new student," Wynonna introduced before Nicole offered Gus a hand to shake. 

"No, dear, we don't do that here," Gus said as she stood up before hugging Nicole.

"Thank you for letting Wynonna invite me here, Ma'am," Nicole said while smiling.

"None of that _ma'am_ crap either, Haught," Gus said which made Nicole chuckle, "just Gus is fine."

"Okay, _just Gus_."

"I like her," Gus said while looking at Wynonna. Nicole looked at Wynonna, who had a wide smile and raised both of her thumbs before deciding to go to the kitchen. As Gus and Nicole started to converse in the living room, she decided to call her sister whom she knew was probably doing her homework.

"WAVERLY, COME DOWNSTAIRS! THERE IS SOMEBODY I WANT YOU TO MEET!" 

_________________

After Wynonna drived Nicole to her home, where she was introduced to her brother, Xavier Dolls, and their mother, she came back to the Homestead to see Waverly sitting on the couch, possibly waiting up for her. 

"Hey, Babygirl. What are you doing still up?"

_"I... need to talk to you."_ Wynonna was suddenly filled up with worry. Waverly was fidgeting with her nails, which was what she would usually do whenever she was scared or nervous. 

"Alright. What's wrong, Babygirl?" Wynonna asked as she held Waverly's hand. 

"Promise me you won't hate me?" 

"I could _never_!" Wynonna gasped as she faced Waverly, who wasn't looking directly at her, "Waves?"

"I have a crush." 

Wynonna raised her eyebrows before saying, "why would I hate you because you have a crush? Well, unless it's Champ Hardy—"

" _No!_ No, definitely _not_ Champ."

"Good, because you could do better than _that_ ," Wynonna said while rolling her eyes. 

"How would you know who is better for me?"

"Well, for one, someone who actually _respects_ women," Wynonna said while stroking Waverly's hair, "someone who will take care of you the way that I do, love you as much as I do, someone—"

" _Like Nicole?_ "

"Babygirl, what are you talking about?"

"You said I could do better. Do you think Nicole could be better?"

"Why—" _It struck_. _Hard_. Wynonna's eyes widened at Waverly, who was now nervously chewing on her lower lip.

"I'm sorry," Waverly said when Wynonna didn't say anything for a whole minute. 

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because I happen to like girls too?" 

Wynonna stared at Waverly's eyes that were just telling her one thing: _Please don't hate me. I'm still me._ She grabbed Waverly by the hand and threw her arm around the younger Earp. Waverly, though confused, leaned on Wynonna's shoulder as her sister stroke her hair. 

"So..." Wynonna said, breaking the silence between the two, "this cute sister of mine got the _Haughts_ for my new friend."

"Wynonna!" Waverly exclaimed, her jaw dropping before they both fell into fits of laughter. 

"Come here, you," Wynonna said as Waverly scooted nearer to her sister, "nothing, and I mean _nothing_ could ever make me stop loving you, Babygirl. You love who you love, as long as you're happy, I will love them too." Waverly gave in to the serenity of her sister's warm embrace. 

"You want me to set her up for you?"

_"Wynonna!"_

_________________

_**Present Day, three days after the accident...** _

Wynonna decided to let her sister get used to the Homestead with Gus, hopefully that the older woman would help Waverly in recalling her old memories. Wynonna, however, went to school as she missed a lot during her sister's recovery, and with graduation coming up, schoolworks have stacked up while she was gone. It didn't matter, as she wanted something to distract her from the status of her sister. She was looking for a certain redhead, possibly ask her why the _hell_ she never checked up on her sister. She then saw one of their classmates, Mercedes to know about Nicole's whereabouts. 

"Hey, have you seen Nicole?"

"I was going to ask you about her," Mercedes replied, confusing Wynonna, "she hasn't been to school in three days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, there! Wow, we really are halfway done the story, huh? I changed Nicole and Waverly's years together in the previous chapters and in the future chapters because apparently you should not make story plots while you sleepy SKSKSKSKSKS anyway I am so sorry :3


	5. Let It Be Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two weeks, Nicole sees the love of her life again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Trigger: Homophobia

_**Present day, the night of the accident...** _

" _Nicole, we are at the emergency room right now. Babygirl's hurt, Nicole. Bad._ "

Nicole could've sworn her heart halted from beating. Waverly, _her_ Waverly, was hurt badly. Dolls saw her expression change, his eyes softening as Nicole's filled with tears. 

"I'm on my way, Wynonna!" She cried before hanging up on Wynonna. She started hurrying for the door, grabbing her jacket as she did. Anxiety coursed through her body that Dolls had to pull her by the shoulders to get her attention. 

"Xavier, I don't have time for this!"

"Nicole, just breathe, please!" Dolls pleaded as he saw Nicole hyperventilating.

"Do _not_ tell me to breathe knowing that my girlfriend is out there, hurting like hell!" Dolls let go of her shoulders. He knew how much the young Earp meant to Nicole and he knew hearing that she was hurt badly must've taken a toll on his sister. 

"Alright, they're in Purgatory Hospital?" Nicole nodded as she wiped her tears away, but to no use as they kept coming the moment she wipes them away. Dolls grabbed the keys to his car then grabbed Nicole by the hand. When they were inside his car, Nicole started sobbing. _No, Waverly can't leave her. She shouldn't. She wouldn't._ Throughout the drive to the Purgatory Hospital, she could only think of one thing: _let it be me. Spare Waverly, she could do more good in the world, and that's what the world needed now._ They arrived there a few minutes later, but to Nicole, it felt like aeons. 

_Let it be me._

The last thing she heard was her brother talking to the nurse at the reception.

_Let it be me._

She could hear her heartbeat banging in her ears, her breathing becoming more and more staggered. 

_Let it be me._

_Please._

"Nicole." She snapped out of her painful trance when her brother was shaking her, looking at her with concern. She didn't notice that she was crying nor did she know when she started. All she knew was that what mattered now and the _only_ thing that mattered now was that Waverly pulled through. If Dolls didn't urge Nicole enough to actually get some sleep on his lap, she never would've shut an eye. She was afraid that something might happen the moment she wakes up. Fortunately, morning finally came and no bad news had come to them yet. _Yet_. 

Nicole stirred before getting up from Dolls' lap, slightly rubbing her eyes before her eyes shot open when she saw Willa come out from one of the rooms, grazed with scars on her face. She immediately approached her, Dolls still asleep on one of the chairs of the waiting room. She wrapped her hands around herself before saying, "Willa, what happened?"

"Isn't it obvious? We got into a freaking car accident. What does it look like?" She understood the eldest Earp's snappy reply, as who wouldn't be when they were _just_ in a car accident the night before?

"I'm sorry," Nicole apologized before looking down and up at Willa again, "do you happen to know where Waverly is?" 

"Yeah, she's in the other room, but I don't think it's a very good idea seeing her right now—she's been through a lot and she did have more bruises than Wynonna and I." Maybe Willa was right, besides, she knew Waverly would reach her immediately to ease her mind. She nodded at Willa before turning back to Dolls.

"Willa said it's not a good time to visit Waves right now, she said Waverly was really hurt badly," Nicole said.

"Alright, let's—"

"Nicole, can I talk to you?" Willa called out from behind Nicole, who nodded in response.

"I'll wait for you in the car, okay?" Dolls said before patting Nicole's shoulder and headed out of the hospital. Nicole approached Willa again to where she was standing. 

"What's wrong?" Nicole asked, to which Willa raised an eyebrow. She had to admit it, Willa was scaring her a little with how she was glaring at Nicole. 

"On second thought, maybe you shouldn't see Waverly at all."

" _What?_ " Nicole asked in disbelief. 

"Nicole, do you even know why we got into this _damn_ car accident?" 

Nicole didn't respond.

"It's because Waverly decided to tell our dad about her relationship with you. Of course he would get mad, because who wouldn't be? What you two have—had—was not normal. He got angry, and crashed the car. I mean, think about it: if you somehow didn't corrupt my sister's mind, she wouldn't be here, _she never would have been hurt_. Our dad would still be alive, and everything stayed normal. _Do you honestly think Waverly would ever forgive you for taking our dad away from us?_ " 

She wanted to get angry at Willa. She really did. But she couldn't because she knew a horrible part of her believed that what Willa said was right. That Waverly was hurt because of her. That their father was gone because of her. _How could she think that Waverly would forgive her?_ Because she didn't. _Waverly would never forgive her._

"Promise me this, Red," Willa said while walking up to Nicole, "promise me you will stay away from all of us. That's the least you could do for what you did to us."

_"Hey, Haught Stuff! I was wondering when you'd—"_

Nicole looked at Wynonna before rushing out of the hospital, her tears now uncontrollably falling. Nothing filled her mind now but the old memories she shared with Wynonna, with Gus, with _Waverly_. Old memories that will never be replaced with new ones, for Nicole wasn't a person who breaks her promises. _She promised to stay away from the Earps_. Her heart ached with agony as she went inside Dolls' car. He looked at her, but didn't have the heart to ask what happened as Nicole was now piercingly wailing in the passenger seat. The world blurred away as one thing was left in her mind, or rather, one person: _Waverly Earp_.

_________________

Fourteen days. Fourteen days, seven hours, three minutes, and twenty seconds was how long Nicole Haught managed to keep her promise to Willa Earp. She never saw the glimpse of any of the sisters, including Willa herself. She managed to ignore Wynonna in all three classes they were in together, despite the brunette's desperate attempts to talk with her. Sure, they would talk about school, but the two best friends knew there was a shadow that fell upon the sisterly connection the two used to have.

She never saw Waverly, either. But a part of her did hope that Waverly would try reaching her. _But she never did_. Willa wasn't _probably_ right—Willa was _actually_ right. Waverly must have realized what being with Nicole actually meant, and Nicole should've seen it coming. After all, everybody whom she ever loved left her, so why would Waverly be an exception?

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite _lesbian,_ " a voiced laughed behind Nicole as she was shoving her books in her locker. 

"I don't have time for your crap today, Champ." 

"Now, now, Haught. No need to be hostile, I know _exactly_ why you're like that. You know, you really shouldn't have expected that you two would last." Nicole slammed her locker shut before turning around to face Champ.

"Oh, yeah. A little birdie told me a certain lesbian didn't have a girlfriend anymore." 

"Like I said, I don't have time for your crap today." She tried walking away, but Champ pushed her to the lockers, Nicole's back slamming unto her own locker. 

"You can't leave yet, I want to see your face when I finally get Waverly, when I get to kiss her in front of you like how much you tortured me."

_"Yeah, she'll kiss you on the third of Never-member."_ Champ and Nicole turned to the side to see Wynonna, with her arms crossed while a person stood behind her... _Waverly_.

"I don't think it is as impossible now as it was before, right, Haughty?" Champ asked, smirking at Nicole who didn't do nor say anything, "knowing that she isn't yours anymore?"

When Nicole didn't answer, Champ said, "answer me, _bitch_." 

"Haught, you're just gonna let him talk to you like that?" Wynonna smirked, as she thought Nicole would push him back, punch him, _anything_ that she wasn't doing right now. 

"Ha, I knew you'd lose your balls the second Waverly isn't riding yours," Champ chuckled before getting shoved by Wynonna to the ground. If it weren't for Principal Nedley's interference, Wynonna would've given Champ another beating. Nedley then sent Champ to another direction as he gave Wynonna a warning glare. Wynonna just gave him a toothy grin before she and Waverly walked closer to Nicole, who immediately turned her back against them and started walking away. They continued following Nicole into an empty alleyway going out of the school, which Wynonna recognized as Nicole's shortcut to her home.

"Hey, are you okay?" Wynonna asked as she and her sister followed the redhead.

"I'm fine, Wynonna—"

" _Well, good, because I'm fucking not!_ " Wynonna snapped behind Nicole, which made the latter turn back to her, "where the _fuck_ did my best friend go?" 

"I'm right here, Wy—"

"Don't tell me she's right here because as far as I know, she abandoned me at the hospital with my sister who she claimed she loved but left as well!"

"Do not _fucking_ go there, Wynonna!"

"Oh, I will _fucking_ go there if I want to because you know why? Because you took away my best friend!"

"Wynonna, please, calm down," Waverly said softly, which did make Wynonna calm down a little. 

"I didn't want to, okay?" Nicole said while trying to stop the tears from falling.

"What the fuck do you mean you didn't—"

"I didn't want to avoid you, for fuck's sake, Wynonna! You honestly think I would _intentionally_ want to avoid you?"

"So why did you?" Wynonna asked, her own tears falling down her face.

_"Because you know I don't break my promises."_

"Well, you surely broke your promise to me nor your girlfriend," Wynonna said, sarcasm overflowing her sentences, quickly realizing what she had said.

"Girlfriend?" Waverly asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Nicole looked at her with pain in her eyes. Wynonna looked at Waverly and whispered, " _later._ "

"I wasn't talking about my promises with you."

"Then what the _hell_ were you talking about?" Wynonna said, crossing her arms. Her face was stern, but the second Nicole broke down in front of her and Waverly, she couldn't keep up that face anymore, "Nicole, what were you talking about?" When her best friend didn't answer, Wynonna tried approaching her slowly, but Nicole tried pushing her away. 

"No! You don't get to push me away anymore, stop it!" Wynonna said while Nicole was trying to break free from her grip. Waverly helplessly stood there, unable to process why they were fighting nor process who the other girl was and why Wynonna was so upset with her. 

"Nicole, please, just talk to me!"

" _She made me promise!"_ Nicole shouted, which made both Wynonna and herself stop from struggling in each others' arms. Nicole dropped to her knees and started sobbing. Wynonna and Waverly looked at each other before going to the opposite of Nicole's sides while rubbing her arms.

"Who made you promise, _Haught Stuff_?"

"You're still going to use that name to me?" 

"I don't know, you still going to be my best friend?"

"Would you want to?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because _it's all my fault_."

Wynonna looked at Nicole the same way Waverly did: with confusion resting on their faces. 

"That day in the hospital, Willa told me that the reason you got into that car accident was because your dad got angry at Waverly for coming out with our relationship," Nicole started before getting interrupted by Waverly. 

" _Relationship?_ " Now with Nicole getting confused and hurt, Wynonna decided to tell the truth. 

"Waverly is suffering from retrograde amnesia, which means she is having trouble remembering stuff before the accident," Wynonna explained, which saddened Nicole.

"So, she doesn't remember me or our times together."

"It doesn't mean forever, Haught Shot," Wynonna said, trying to give an assuring smile at Nicole, "she is having treatments at the Purgatory Hospital for two weeks now and she is slowly getting back her old memories."

"I was hoping you would help, too," Waverly said while smiling at Nicole. 

"But let's do that later, what were you saying about good, old _Willa_?" Wynonna's bitterness for her older sister came out as she said her name.

"She told me that if I haven't corrupted Waverly, she never would've been with me, and she and her dad wouldn't have suffered. Then she made me promise to stay away from your family because that's the least I could do for what I did to your family. And that you and Waverly would never forgive me for what I did."

Wynonna was _seething_ with rage now, her eyebrows met as her eyes flared up with fury. 

"Where are you going after this?" Wynonna asked.

"I'm going home; Dolls is doing a project at BBI and our mom is going to work overtime."

"Do you mind Babygirl going with you?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to have a little _chat_ with our sister and knowing what she did, I don't think it's going to stay kid-friendly for Waverly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that happened....


	6. Let Her Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly dreams about familiar memories. Wynonna helps her recall them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains scenes which include the tags listed above. Reader's discretion is advised. If you are uncomfortable with themes such as suicide or self-harm, please skip to the end of this chapter where I will put the summary of this chapter. Thank you for your understanding.

_"Please don't ever leave me again. Please stay by my side now."_

_"Forever and beyond, baby." Waverly replied with a smile._

Waverly woke up, gasping. She put her hand to her shoulder before feeling the necklace that hung around her neck. She felt as though all her memories came rushing back in, but all she could remember was Nicole. Waverly spent her time with her three days ago, asking Nicole about the times they were together, but she knew she was hurting the more she asked, as it showed the redhead that her _girlfriend_ wasn't there, despite the fact that Waverly was with her. She felt guilty and wanted to make up for the pain she had caused Nicole three days ago. And it seemed that the thought of the redhead haunted her even in her dreams. She got up her bed and went downstairs, where Wynonna was already up, eating a stack of pancakes made by Gus. Of course, it was the only thing Gus could do for what Wynonna did three days ago with Willa, with all the screaming and the tackling before Willa decided to leave the Homestead must have exhausted Wynonna. 

"Hey, Babygirl, how was your sleep?"

"Could you tell me more about my relationship with Nicole before..." Waverly asked before stopping, noticing how Gus and Wynonna looked at each other before smiling at Waverly.

"Are you sure you're ready to know about that, Waves?" Gus asked, putting her hand on Waverly's shoulder. 

"Yeah, I am. And I saw how Nicole got hurt when she knew that I couldn't remember anything. Maybe she could help me with remembering, you know?"

"Alright, Babygirl," Wynonna smiled as she told Waverly to sit down next to her in the dining room. Gus joined them as she sat down with her own stack of pancakes. This one _hell_ of a story.

_______________

_**Four years ago...** _

It has been a month since Nicole Haught visited the Homestead, longer for Waverly, whose feelings for her sister's best friend became stronger over the time she never saw Nicole. Wynonna noticed this and felt sorry for her sister.

"Hey, _Babygirl_ ," Wynonna said, using her small voice to grab the attention of Waverly who was lying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, 'Nonna, what's up?" Waverly asked as she sat up. Wynonna sat down next to her on her bed.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

"I couldn't possibly know what you are saying," Waverly chuckled, hoping that her sister wouldn't make her tell about the growing feelings she had for Nicole.

"Really? So you're not missing one particular redhead that I know?" 

"What? Why would I miss Nicole, Wynonna? _It's just a crush_. I would be more worried if I actually had feelings for her—"

"But you do, don't you?" 

Waverly froze as Wynonna raised her eyebrows at the younger Earp. The latter shook her head before laying down on her back. Waverly followed her, lying down to where she was before, staring at the same ceiling she had been staring at for the last hour.

"C'mon, Waves, spill it out."

"There's _nothing_ to spill out."

"Yeah, your voice crack is _really_ convincing. You do realize you do that a lot when you lie, right?" Wynonna said, lying down to her side to face her sister, who was now as red as a tomato, "Babygirl, I know you miss her. And it sucks that she hasn't been visiting us. She won't even talk to me at school."

"Okay, what did you do?" Waverly asked, lying down on her side as well to face Wynonna. Wynonna scrunched her nose. 

"What do you mean ' _What did I do_ '?"

"The last time she was here was the first time she came to the Homestead," Waverly said, nodding her head as she spoke, "and she hasn't been here since. Did you do or say something to make her _not_ come back?"

"What makes you think I did or said something?" Waverly raised her eyebrows at Wynonna, who rolled her eyes before saying " _don't answer that_."

"So what did you do?"

Wynonna stayed silent, unease starting to creep up on her face.

"Wynonna...?"

"I may or may not have told her one time in Biology that _you might have a crush on her._ "

"WYNONNA!" Waverly said as her jaw dropped before blushing furiously. _So that's why Nicole hasn't visited in the last month._ Waverly saddened at the realization that Nicole got scared of the fact that Waverly might like her, indicating that she was, in fact, _not_ interested in Waverly at all. The connection Waverly thought they felt was nothing but a source of false hope for her.

"Hey, don't be sad, Babygirl," Wynonna said as she hugged Waverly, the younger Earp still motionless from the trance of her thoughts, "I will _so_ kick her ass."

"Wynonna, _don't_."

_______________

Monday came and it meant that she was going to see Nicole again, and Wynonna was determined to know why Nicole hasn't been talking to either her or Waverly. She saw her during classes looking at Wynonna with a scared expression before looking down at her book again. _Did I really scare her off that much?_ Wynonna thought, but immediately forgot when she reasoned out with herself that Nicole shouldn't have avoided them—she should've talked with them, at _least_ let down Waverly slowly instead of leaving her sister wondering where she went wrong like that. She knew it was her own fault, but Wynonna knew a part of this was Nicole's as well and she figured she should let Nicole know. 

The afternoon came swiftly, but Wynonna's temper didn't as she followed Nicole to the alleyway that was a shortcut to the Dolls' house. After a few minutes of walking, Nicole came to a halt, which made Wynonna stop walking as well. Nicole pulled out her earbuds and looked behind her, possibly suspecting that somebody was following her, and she was surprised to see her best friend who had an angered expression on her face.

"Wynonna?"

"Oh, so you _do_ know me! I thought that you ignoring my sister and I meant otherwise."

" _Wynonna_."

"What the actual _fuck_ , Haught? What were you thinking, leaving us wondering what we did wrong for you not to come back to the Homestead?"

" _Wynonna_ —"

"And to think that I introduced you to my family just for you to _ditch_ us like that!"

"Wynonna, please, let me explain. I was about to call you and Waverly—"

"Don't even get me started with Waverly! The poor thing looked like somebody stole her new puppy for weeks now. Do you know how much it hurt to see Waverly like that?"

"No, I don't, but, Wynonna—"

"Okay, so she has a little crush on you. What's the big deal? It's not like—"

"Wynonna, _I like your sister!_ "

"... _what?_ "

_______________

Wynonna knocked on Waverly's door, snapping Waverly out of the staring contest she was having with the ceiling. 

"Sorry, did I make you lose to the ceiling?" Waverly chuckled softly before sitting up.

"Why are you out of school early?"

"School usually ends this time, but I make _pit stops_ before I come home." Wynonna replied, which made Waverly laugh again.

"Then why are you here and not in your _pit stops_ ," Waverly asked, putting up her hands to make quotation marks at the words _pit stops_.

"Because I got you a surprise."

"Is it a _pony_?"

"Even better."

"A _unicorn?_ "

"Eh, something like that, yeah. It's in the barn." Waverly wasted no time as she and Wynonna ran up to the barn of the Homestead. She saw that there was something sitting on the bed their late uncle Curtis used to sleep on. _Wait, no, someone—_

_"Nicole?"_ Waverly asked incredulously as she looked at the redhead who she had never seen in a month. Nicole was wearing a _uniquely designed_ sweater, with a red ribbon threading through her hair. 

"Merry Christmas, Babygirl! That's my present for you."

_"Wynonna, it's the middle of July."_ Waverly said as she crossed her arms and approached Nicole, "what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be, like, _avoiding_ us?"

"Can you sit down?" Nicole asked Waverly, who sat down beside her on the bed, before turning to Wynonna, "can I also take this off and ask you to leave us alone?"

"No, and just pretend I'm not here."

"That's—"

"A really good plan? Yeah, I know. Continue, _Haught Stuff_."

Nicole shook her head before turning to Waverly, who was evidently nervous. Nicole took one of Waverly's hands and placed it in between her own. What used to be cold and shaking, Waverly's hand found solace in the warmth of Nicole's.

"Waverly, I'm so, so sorry for avoiding you—"

" _Ahem._ "

"And your annoying sister," Nicole said flatly before turning to Wynonna, "how am I supposed to pretend you're not there if you keep doing that?"

"Did you just call me _annoying_?"

"Yes, and I will call you something much worse if you don't let me talk to your sister in peace," Nicole said before rolling her eyes and turning her face back to Waverly, who was laughing at their exchange. The person whose laugh never made her fail to smile as well. 

"As I was saying, I'm so sorry for avoiding you. I know it was wrong and uncalled for, and I shouldn't have done it. But then again, you have to know it's what I have always done, knowing that I am a coward myself."

" _Nicole—"_

"No, please let me finish," Nicole smiled at Waverly, which seemed to have eased the worried look on the latter's face, "I was a coward my whole life. Running away from everything that had scared me. And I get scared by a lot of things, but the one thing that scares me the most is _you_. But I won't be anymore, I can't, knowing that I could lose you if I continued to be scared of you, _of what I feel for you_." Waverly swallowed a huge gasp as Nicole scooted closer to her, "Waverly Earp, I like you. I _really_ like you, and I am afraid that my feelings for you are growing stronger as I catch a glimpse of you. Will you help me get over my fears and be my _girlfriend_?"

Waverly swallowed a gasp, as so did Wynonna, even though the older Earp had known this was coming. 

" _Yes_." 

"Can I ki—" Nicole tried to ask before Waverly placing a soft kiss on her lips. 

" _I've waited far too long to do that_."

_______________

"She was so happy, I could still hear her hollering on the streets when you said yes," Wynonna said as she finished the last of her pancakes. Waverly was smiling, fidgeting the necklace between her fingers, which Wynonna saw.

"I remember being with her when she chose that," Wynonna said, touching Waverly's necklace, "told me that _it just reminds her of you_."

"Can we go visit her? I really want to know if she could help me with my memories."

"I don't see why not, if you think it could help you, Babygirl. Besides, I miss my _Haught Dog_."

They bid Gus farewell before driving up to Dolls' house. Wynonna burst in, having remembered Nicole telling her to make herself feel at home, which she always did as Nicole always have at the Homestead. Once they saw that nobody was downstairs, they came to check upstairs to see if Nicole was home. Which she should have been, considering it was a weekend. Either that or the Dolls decided to go out. But her last thought disappeared when she spotted water at the top of the stairs. 

" _What the fuck?_ " Wynonna exclaimed as she and Waverly carefully avoided the puddles of water forming. They traced it back to the bathroom, where water was continuously flowing through the bottom of the door. Wynonna went to turn the knob, but her heart started racing when it was locked. 

_"Is somebody in there?"_ Wynonna asked as she kept trying to turn the knob before pressing her ear to the door before saying, " _fuck it, if somebody is running a bath there, I'm so sorry_ ," as she kicked the door open. And nothing could have braced her and Waverly, who was behind her, to the sight of Nicole Haught on the tub of red water, unconscious. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waverly dreams about her memories of Nicole with Wynonna and decided to share it with her sister. Wynonna tells her about how they first started, how Nicole used to avoid her and Waverly because of her growing feelings for the former Earp before finally asking Waverly to be her girlfriend. Waverly then asks Wynonna if she could take her to Nicole, as she wants to rekindle her relationship with the redhead and thought that Nicole could help with recalling her memories. When they got to the Dolls' residence, Wynonna and Waverly found Nicole unconscious.


End file.
